Tweet
Today is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a day to raise awareness of the devastating impact that HIV and AIDS have had on Black people in America (and the World).
• When we look at HIV/AIDS by race and ethnicity, we see that African Americans have more illness (even though blacks account for about 13% of the U.S. population, they account for about half (49%) of the people who get HIV and AIDS; shorter survival times (Blacks with AIDS often don’t live as long as people of other races and ethnic groups with AIDS); and more deaths (for African Americans and other blacks, HIV/AIDS is a leading cause of death. • HIV/AIDS affects black children the most. In 2005, 104 (63%) of the 166 children under the age of 13 diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in 33 states were black. • According to information from 33 states, during 2005, among men, 41% of men living with HIV/AIDS were black; among women, 64% of women living with HIV/AIDS were black. • Of all black men living with HIV/AIDS, the primary transmission category was sexual contact with other men, followed by injection drug use and high-risk heterosexual contact. • Of all black women living with HIV/AIDS, the primary transmission category was high-risk heterosexual contact, followed by injection drug use. • Of the estimated 141 infants perinatally infected with HIV, 91 (65%) were Black (CDC, HIV/AIDS Reporting System, unpublished data, December 2006). • Of the estimated 18,849 people under the age of 25 whose diagnosis of HIV/AIDS was made during 2001–2004 in the 33 states with HIV reporting, 11,554 (61%) were Black. • Since the beginning of the epidemic, blacks have accounted for 397,548 (42%) of the estimated 952,629 AIDS cases diagnosed in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
On Friday February 6th, Black AIDS Institute released an update to last year's ground-breaking report called “Left Behind: State of AIDS in Black America” which pointed out, among other things, that if African-Americans were their own country, they would be the 16th most impacted country in the world by AIDS, ahead of Botswana, Ethiopia, Guyana, Haiti, Namibia, Rwanda or Vietnam — 7 of the 15 countries that receive support from the U.S. Government's anti-AIDS program PEPFAR. Get Tested! Know your HIV status and the status of your sexual partners.
29 Comments
I am raising my 3 year old grand niece who is White and African American. She was HIV exposed at birth by her (white) mother, my niece. They say she is not showing anything positive, but when I pinned the HIV folks to the wall about it, they told me they just don’t know what will happen to this generation of exposed babies as the treatment they got at brith has not gone over a whole generation yet ~ and there are some questions about the treatment by especially South African doctors who see so much of it. I will always be worried as she is my light! She and I get tested yearly now.
I have been reading about kids growing up like she is. I wish I knew of other families facing this. For instance, I have agonized over what to tell authorities because I do not want her to get “labeled” ~ yet I worry about something happening to someone such as the school nurse or someone who treated a cut, etc. I finally sat down with our school nurse (the little one is in Head Start) and told her what was going on. The nurse told me they use Universal Precautions at school anyway (rubber gloves while treating wounds, etc), which would never single my little one out if they did the same with her, but this good woman thanked me for letting her know and told me she was grateful for the information.
Though I am white, HIV/AIDS touches people like me too as my family, some who are African American and Hispanic, are people I dearly love. The sadness of living with this is sometimes a great deal to carry for the person who is suffering from it. And then to be a person of color too, well it is a great deal to carry around. I just want this little girl to grow up proud of who she is and knowing she is beautiful. And she DOES know she is beautiful! She tells me she IS a princess and indeed she is!
I wanted to add to your article to let you know that, this issues is important and it affects everyone! You never know who is suffering and it may be someone you love dearly who are afraid you might not love them if you knew their secret.
As a matter of fact, I had this little one for over a month before even the State told me the truth about her (she came to me at 2 months old). I was so mad as she was VERY sick and neglected when she came to me and I have been cleaning her, changing her, doing all the things a mom does with a sick baby ~ sans using anything like gloves. Who would even consider she was exposed to such a horrible disease (she was also exposed to drugs and Hep C) with such a little one who is so darling?
Well I do not think I am rare, I think there are lots like me out there who might be a support and who care. Still it is important to be there and support African Americans who are suffering from HIV/AIDS. They and those who love them, already have ENOUGH to contend with!
I hope my story helps!
Love
Cat In Seattle
If she hasn’t tested positive on an ELISA HIV-1 test after 6 months or a year then she should be fine. HIV exposure is not the same thing as being HIV positive. Babies who are exposed to HIV from the mother may have the MOM’s HIV antibodies in their blood for months if not a year but after that it’s their own antibodies who matter.
In fact, mother-to-child transmission has been cut to nearly zero (as long as the mom is on anti-retroviral drugs like nevirapine). I’ve never heard of child-adoptive mother infection but I suppose it’s theoretically possible.
HIV is actually relatively difficult to catch and the virus can not exist outside the body (i.e. exposed to air).
Thank you for this, Mad Prof. It is an important reminder for all of us to play safe, get tested and lovingly remind those in our lives to do the same. I hope these painful statistics motivate leaders in the African American communities across the country to speak up about condom use, safer sex and the importance of NOT sharing needles. I wish more needle exchanges were in place–such a simple way, along with condoms, to help stop the spread of HIV (and Hep C).
Mad Prof, thanks for this post.
And Cat, have you found any support groups in your area for folks in your situation? You may ask your doctor to put you in touch with other moms/aunties who face the challenges you do. As long as you and your niece continue to have negative tests, you may not need this help, as it sounds like you’ve both escaped infection.